Can You Feel the Love Tonight
by spacetraintotheUniverse
Summary: Dean is still learning how to cope with his blindness with the help of family, friends, and the local coffeeshop owner Gabriel Milton. Gabriel supplies sweet coffee that Dean will deny he likes, and the pie that keeps him running, and somehow, he'll supply the thing that makes Dean's life bright again. (Well, technically he doesn't mean to, but whatever) Part 1 of my Blind!Dean AU
1. (Well, not yet, but you will soon)

**Okay guys, sorry for the text screw-up before. I've got it fixed now, and it shouldn't be a problem again! Thanks for reading!**

Dean was still getting used to being blind. It was easier than it had seemed at first, but it still wasn't a walk in the park. Well, it was a little bit, because Dean did like walking Krissy in the afternoons, but somehow it was easier to adjust to than Dean thought being deaf was. He hated every second of not being able to see. He hated that he couldn't see the ground in front of him, that he couldn't see what any of his dates looked like, that he only had their voices to go off of.

Deciding to push his boundaries was something that Dean was beginning to regret. Sometimes he would go out with Krissy and his cane, with Sam or Benny or Charlie back at the house. Usually, he would go to the park, but he wasn't really in the mood to be hit in the face with a frisbee, because that was just the kind of day he was having. Instead, Dean went to a coffee shop. He figured that he had been good enough to deserve a sweet coffee, and none of his friends were with him to tease him over his sugary craving or to chastise him about how he'd get diabetes from all the sweetness.

The coffee shop, as usual, smelled divine. It smelled like coffee, rich and bitter and maybe a little creamy. There was the pastry scent that Dean knew was from Gabriel's daily cooking - the man usually saved him a slice of pie, whether he knew Dean was coming or not. From the way it smelled on the late fall afternoon, Dean could tell that the special was pecan, his favorite. He went in and sat down at his usual table, not even noticing that someone was sitting across from him. He didn't realize it, mostly because Krissy was sitting calmly by his side, until whoever it was cleared their throat, making him jump.

"Excuse me," the man said, and Dean thought his heart was melting at the sound of that perfect, perfect voice. "Did you want something?"

Dean felt like he was blushing. His face was probably red. "Oh," he said rather stupidly. "Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't, uh, I didn't see you there." Dean spoke softly, trying to hide the embarrassment in his voice as he ducked his head, not quite sure if he wanted the man to see Dean's eyes. He didn't want pity, and he didn't want the man to feel like an ass. For all Dean knew, plenty of people brought dogs in. He was saved from the embarrassment of continuing by Gabriel swooping in out of nowhere. Dean hadn't even heard his footsteps.

"Cassie! I see you've met Dean-o here, I've been meaning to get you two together for some time now," Dean could practically hear the wink in Gabriel's voice.

"Did you tell him to sit here, Gabriel? And for the last time, my name is Castiel, not "Cassie"." Dean could hear the air quotes in Castiel's voice, too.

Gabriel sighed. Dean could imagine the man shaking his head. "Cassie," he said stubbornly. "Dean here deserves at least a little more respect from you. After all, he is one of my best customers. And he wasn't lying about not seeing you." There was a moment's pause, and then Dean felt two sets of eyes on him. "So what'll it be this time, Dean-o?"

"Uhhh... I'll take whatever today's special is. It's pecan, right?" He grinned as Gabriel let out an affirmative, and settled into the chair with a sigh before he remembered Castiel in the other seat. "Oh, sorry. Um, I'll move, if you wanna point me in the right direction," Dean said, biting at his lower lip. "I don't wanna be a bother."

Dean wasn't prepared for Castiel's response. "I'm sorry," Castiel said, voice rough. "I... I didn't realize. I suppose I should have. I've just been in my own world today, I guess."

Dean nodded in understanding. "I get that," he assured. "You don't have to apologize for that. Hell, I'm trapped inside my own head, most days." Dean chuckled at his own joke before falling silent. His head was starting to hurt, like it did often. After the accident, things just weren't the same. Krissy whined and rubbed her face against his hand, because somehow the retriever always knew when Dean was upset.

He heard Castiel awkwardly clear his throat before the man spoke again. "My brother can be a little..." Castiel trailed off, but Dean understood what he meant.

"Yeah," Dean agreed, sighing. "Gabriel can be annoying, but he means well. He tries to cheer me up pretty often."

Dean heard Castiel's nod. "He is good for that, from time to time. And you can sit here, I don't mind. Honestly, as much as he jokes around, Gabriel does keep trying to set me up with people. Perhaps if we were to speak he would slow down a little, and you might have someone to cheer you up without him exasperating you to no end."

Dean hummed softly, nodding. "That does sound like a good idea. Plus, some company would be nice, honestly." Dean felt Krissy perk up against him, and he listened for a long moment before he made out Gabriel's footsteps. "Got my pie, shorty?"

Dean smiled at Gabriel's chuckle. "Of course," he said, then placed two slices in front of him. "I couldn't leave my best customer without his sweets. Do you want the coffee, too?" Dean nodded in response, and he supposed that Gabriel nodded before shuffling off, because he didn't always remember that Dean couldn't see him. Sam kept telling him that his eyes were still the same bright green as before, he just looked like he was gazing into the distance.

Dean sighed happily as he felt for the fork and pulled the plate towards himself, cutting through the pie and taking a bite more easily than he had a few weeks ago. He hummed at the taste, then reached for the other plate. "Want some?"

Dean was pretty sure Castiel was shaking his head as he replied. "No, thank you. I'm alright, I've already got something to eat. Have you tried Gabriel's blueberry pie? I feel as though it would be something that you would like." Dean chuckled a little as he nodded, taking another bite of the slice on the first plate.

"Yeah, I've had it before. It's like, blueberry cheesecake pie. Pretty awesome. If I were allowed in the kitchen anymore, I'd be asking him the recipe." Dean smiled softly as he looked down, and he nodded a little. "So if we're gonna start being friends, I suppose we should know some more about each other. I'm Dean Winchester, this is Krissy, she's my seeing-eye dog. I've been told that she's a Golden Retriever that's a bit more like a Chimera with a black lab, not that it matters to me much. She's a sweetheart."

Castiel chuckled and nodded, knowing full well that Dean couldn't see it. "She is cute," he said, then, "May I pet her?"

Dean laughed a little. "Sure thing, man, go ahead. She eats it up. Krissy, go say hi," Dean said, nudging the dog softly with his foot. He smiled as she moved towards Cas, able to feel the lead go taut as she went over to sniff at the man's hand.

"She really is sweet," Castiel said, rubbing at Krissy's head while she sniffed at his pant leg. "And so you know, I'm Castiel James Novak. I'm Gabriel's brother on our father's side, though most of our family swears he had a different mother. He's too enthusiastic to share all of our genes." He chuckled at his own words, smiling when Dean did the same.

They spoke for hours on end, Dean not noticing the change outside. Castiel hardly noticed it either, as the conversation flowed easily and neither of them recognized the changing hours. They only noticed as Gabriel came over to pet Krissy, telling them that he was closing up for the night.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Dean said. "I didn't mean to keep you for so long. I'll just get Krissy, and... Gabe, you know where the money is," he managed, standing and pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, face flushed pink as he bumped into the table.

"Dean," Castiel said calmly, watching the man and unable to stop himself from finding it adorable. "It's alright, I assure you. While I didn't mean to be talking for so long either, I don't mind. I hope that it's the same for you.. I'd like to do it again. Perhaps I could get your phone number so I can call and we can do this again. And I can't let you go home in the dark. While I'm certain you're getting used to it by now, those on the roads can't always see what's in front of them, and I wouldn't be able to bear you or Krissy being hurt because I've kept you for so long."

Dean was blushing even more now. "O-oh," he said simply. "Okay. I, uh... Sorry." Dean was flushed down to his chest now, and it was obvious at his collarbone at the least.

Cas chuckled. "It's quite all right, Dean. You're not the only one that lost track of time. Besides, I'd be delighted to come over sometime. We can talk more."

Dean stilled as Gabriel slung an arm over his shoulder. "What the hell, Cassie, why don't you put on your big-boy panties and ask to stay over? I'm sure Dean-o here wouldn't mind, and you deserve to have some kid time. Your trip is in a few weeks, why not try and make some friends? He can write you letters while you're gone." Dean gave Gabriel a 'Look', which Sam always said was creepy because he always managed to meet the subject's eyes even though he couldn't see. "Oh, don't look at me like that, you know what I mean. He'll get his brother to write the letters, but it'll be his words."

Dean sighed. "Fine, sure, whatever. I mean, I don't mind you sleeping over. But I get the distinct feeling that your brother is going to do something to lock you out of the house if you don't. So... yeah." He chuckled softly.

"It's all right," Castiel told him. "Gabriel knows better than to try. But if you have a spare room, I won't mind it. Besides, it may be nice to not have to deal with my brother for a night."


	2. Introductions

**Alright, guys, I've got Chapter 2 ready for you. I hope you enjoy! Same warnings as on my profile apply here - I own nothing.**

Walking with Castiel wasn't so bad. Krissy seemed to like him a lot, which was good. He was great with conversation, which was even better. Getting home went quickly, and Dean was glad to set Castiel up in the spare room.

"Really, it's no problem," he assured. "It's better than having to deal with your brother all night, right?" He chuckled awkwardly, and blushed when he felt Castiel's hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," Castiel told Dean fervently, and Dean felt like smiling at the man. He ducked his head instead, and put his hand on Krissy's head. "I really do appreciate it. And it's nice to have a night away from my house that isn't with-"

"What's going on in here, Dean? Who is this," came Sam's voice from the doorway. Dean flinched, but Castiel slowly turned to face the younger, taller man.

"Uh, Sammy, this is Castiel. He, um. He's a friend." Dean's words were hesitant after their fight earlier. Krissy was bristling under his hand, and he bit at his lip. "He's Gabriel's brother and I said it would be okay to stay here because Gabriel was probably going to lock him out of his house because we were talking for a lot of the day." He was hesitant to upset Sam again, because earlier he had been kind of pissed at him. Maybe he could find a way to make it up to his brother.

"Hello," Cas said to Sam, smiling and holding out a hand. After a wary Sam accepted the gesture, he let it fall to his side. "Yes, Gabriel is my brother, and Dean's right, it's quite likely that he would have locked me out had I not come with Dean. He probably noticed how we were talking and decided that he would push us to become closer friends, as I rarely go anywhere outside of work." He smiled as he explained his actions.

Sam sighed. "Okay. There's take out in the kitchen, if you're hungry. I need to talk to Dean about something." He waited until Castiel had nodded and left the room before he turned to Dean and sighed. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I overreacted and clearly I was wrong... I just want you to be safe, Dean."

Dean sighed again, letting his hand slide over Krissy's fur. "I know," he admitted after a moment. "It's okay. I know that you weren't being upset just to yell. That's... You're not Grandpa Sam. You're forgiven," Dean said softly, smiling at his brother with an uncanny accuracy in his gaze. "Now, you said something about takeout?"

Sam chuckled and walked out of the room, letting Dean follow his footsteps. He sometimes forgot about the accident because of how Dean always seemed to look right at him while they were speaking or arguing, and would sweep out an arm to let his brother go first, and leave it for a moment before he remembered that his brother couldn't see anymore. The accident had been painful for everyone, and though a few years had gone by, everything was still fresh. Dean still tripped over moved furniture sometimes. Other times, it was a shoe he left out because he forgot. They were lucky that nothing had come from those accidents.

"This is good," Castiel called from the kitchen, and he smiled at the pair as they came in, Sam looking contrite and Dean looking more at ease. "I can get the dishes," he offered to Sam. "Since you're both kind enough to let me stay here. If Gabriel didn't attempt to lock me out, he would probably insist on staying with me, which is probably worse. You know him," he said, laughing softly around a bite of lo mein.

"Actually, Dean knows him better than I do. Sometimes he'll go out after we argue over something stupid, like today, it was him going out without someone with him-"

"I've got Krissy!"

"-and he just goes to the cafe and back. Gabriel watches out for him while he's there. I don't really talk to him much." Sam shrugged, grabbing a box of pork fried rice. "Usually I'll get a call from Gabriel or something, but today he didn't say anything. I was.. worried."

"To be fair on my brother's part, today was a very busy day at the cafe. He probably had so much to do that he forgot to say something to you." Castiel shrugged around another bite, grinning as Dean searched out the sweet and sour chicken sauce. "Also, we did get free drinks out of it, so..." He shrugged again. "Win-win situation."

Dean laughed around a bite of the chicken. "He didn't charge anything? No wonder my wallet felt just as heavy when I got it back. Your brother is weird, man." He nodded sagely for a moment, then turned to Sam. "Sorry I worried you. But you know that Krissy would come to you if anything happened."

Sam started to open his mouth to say something, then thought better of it and bit his lip. "It shouldn't have to be an issue," he mumbled, hiding his words with another bite of the fried rice.

Castiel cut in before it could become an issue - he knew just how bad sibling arguments could be, and he didn't want to be caught in the middle of one. "How about we go into the living room and watch a movie or something? Something that Dean can listen to and get the storyline of?"

Dean nodded, taking another bite of a chicken finger dipped in the sauce. "Sounds like a good idea to me," he said, voice muffled from food. "How about Die Hard? That's always a good one," Dean suggested.

Sam laughed. "Dean, you only want us to watch that because you've seen it a thousand times and you can quote along with it without seeing the screen," he teased. "What about The Fifth Element? That one has Bruce Willis in it too... and the blue opera chick you liked."

"I haven't actually seen The Fifth Element," Castiel admitted, taking another bite of lo mein. "I think we should watch that one. If you're up for it, Dean."

Dean nodded after a moment. "Okay. The Fifth Element it is. I'm just going to warn you now... you're not prepared for Ruby Rhod."


	3. What to do about Dean?

**Alright, so we have the third chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

Two and a half hours later, Dean had fallen asleep with his head on Castiel's shoulder and Krissy laying over the man's feet. Sam and Castiel were keeping up a quiet conversation, both deciding to just let Dean sleep. He looked tired and after a few minutes of hesitant questions it was easy for Castiel to realize that Dean had a hard time sleeping. Still, looking at the younger man, it was easy for Castiel to see how many years slumber took off of Dean's face.

"I won't ask how it happened. That's Dean's story to tell me."

"Good. I wouldn't have told you anyway," Sam replied, giving the man a pointed look.

"I wanted to say that while I was talking to him today I gleaned that he doesn't really have many chances to go out with friends, or do many things on his own. I have... experience with that loss of free will, almost. It's never easy. I'm sure that you're worried for him a lot, and it's a good idea to make sure that he's alright, but maybe letting him decide things out of the house every once in a while would be nice. Take him to the movies to listen to the newest action film or something. Get him new CDs. Losing your sight like he did can't be easy, and being treated like an invalid probably makes him feel worse about it," Castiel pointed out.

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair at Castiel's words. "How would you know? You can't have been in a situation like this before. Dean is.. unique," he said in response, though his argument was weak.

"I'm in the military. One of the men I worked with, Ezekiel, saved the rest of our team by taking the brunt of a grenade blast. He miraculously survived, but he lost a leg from the knee down and he went blind as well. He practically went mad from being treated like a child and not being allowed to make his own decisions," Castiel explained, carding his fingers through Dean's hair as the man curled against him in his lap.

Sam looked contrite, sorry for asking, but thinking about the things he could do to keep that from happening with Dean. "I have to work a lot. It's hard," Sam said softly. "I make enough to keep us afloat, and I worry about Dean walking around alone, even if he has Krissy. We can't afford the medical bills. He doesn't have a way to see cars, can't just stop random people and ask which way something is."

Castiel fidgeted for a moment before he looked over at Sam again. "I could spend some time with him. He needs more contact with people and I have plenty of leave to take weekends off," he reasoned. "And I like Dean. He's kind and compassionate, and it's a shame to see him so lonely. He deserves more than what life has given him."

Sam nodded in response before turning off the TV. "We should probably get him into bed. He always wakes up with a stiff neck when he sleeps on the couch," the younger man said conspiratorially, a grin on his face. Castiel smiled in return and waved off Sam's offer of help, easily lifting Dean and carrying him to the bedroom marked as his.

"I'm fine sleeping on the couch," Castiel assured when he came back into the room. "I'm shorter than either of you and I'm unexpectedly imposing on you. Besides, I assure you, I've slept in far worse conditions." Castiel smiled at Sam, taking the blanket from the back of the couch and toeing off his shoes. "I'll be fine here. And I won't leave in the morning until after Dean knows that I'm fine. I wouldn't want him to think that I was taking advantage of your hospitality."

Sam smiled awkwardly at the man. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll see you in the morning, then, I guess. Sleep well, Castiel."

Castiel nodded at the man before settling on the couch and closing his eyes as he pulled the blanket up, letting himself drift off to the sound of Dean's dog, Krissy, breathing at his feet.

When Dean woke up, as per usual, it was to utter darkness. No red through his eyelids, no sunlight except where he could feel it warming the skin of his face. But different, though, was the smell of cooking food. That was... different. He knew that they had everything they needed for a real breakfast, but Sam was usually gone before Dean woke up, off doing some lawyer-y thing, so he stuck to a bowl of cereal or a piece of peanut butter toast. But this smelled almost heavenly. That was bacon and toast, eggs, and... was that... pancakes?

It took a moment of thought to realize who could be cooking this. Castiel must have spent the night, for real. Part of him had expected the man to just leave as soon as Dean had fallen asleep. That he had just been humouring him. But if Castiel was here, then that meant not only was Sam okay with it, but Castiel hadn't left. He must have actually liked hanging out with him. Things like that didn't happen often. Not for him.

Of course, Dean didn't leave the house all that often, so it wouldn't, but... still. It was refreshing. He groaned as he sat up and stretched, making sure that he was actually wearing clothes before he got up and started towards the kitchen, smiling fondly as he heard Krissy's nails clicking towards him on the floor. "Hey, girl," he murmured as she came close and rubbed her head against his hand. "Is that Cas in there? Hmm? Is he spoiling you," Dean murmured, almost cooing the words as he played with the dog.

"Well, not quite. But Sam told me it was alright to put a little bacon grease in with her kibble," Castiel said, making Dean start slightly.

"Dude, did you know that you make no sound when you walk? It's kind of trippy," Dean said as he turned to face the source of the voice. "And yeah, that's fine. She'll probably love you forever," he said with a laugh. "What'd you make? It smells great."

Castiel chuckled, and Dean briefly thought to himself that it was a very nice sound to listen to. Castiel had a nice laugh. It was full and deep and rich and only added to his impression that if he were to fall in love with a voice, Castiel's was most definitely one that he could do so with.

"Nothing much. I made bacon and eggs, and pancakes if you want some. Sam said that there was syrup in the pantry, but I wasn't able to find any," the man admitted. Dean laughed softly at the words.

"Sasquatch probably put it on some shelf normal-sized people wouldn't think to look. Try looking at his eye level and you'll probably see it," Dean suggested. "He wasn't as tall as he is now, I don't think, when I went blind," Dean chuckled at the wording, but continued, "but he was still oddly large and he did the exact same thing then, so I don't think he'd change that habit now."

Castiel nodded before remembering that Dean couldn't see it. "I will try that, then," he said as he turned. "I set up a plate for you with some bacon and a few pancakes. I don't know how you take your eggs so I figured I would make those to order." After what Dean could only assume was a few moments of searching, Castiel made and exclamation of triumph, making him believe that the man had found the syrup on a taller shelf. "You were right about looking up a shelf," Castiel agreed as he came back into the kitchen, voice no longer muffled by the pantry and sounding rather sheepish. "I'm not used to going through other people's food stocks, actually, so I was just looking where I usually keep things and hoping for the best."

"Well, that's pretty much all I ever do, so don't worry about it," Dean said with a grin and a laugh, managing to find the plate Castiel had set up without burning himself and bringing it to a spot at the table, settling in and taking a bite of the bacon. "This is really good. Did you get yourself a plate? Don't worry about the rest of that for now, this is good, it'd be a shame to eat it alone. 'Sides, I like talking to you and it's harder to hear over cooking food," Dean teased.

Castiel was a little glad that Dean couldn't see the blush forming on his cheeks at the teasing words even though it looked like the man could pinpoint exactly what was going on. "Of course," he agreed, putting together a plate for himself before coming over to the table and sitting across from Dean much like they had been set up the day before in the coffee shop. "Thank you for letting me stay the night, Dean," Castiel said softly, though he knew the man would hear it. Dean grinned broadly in return to the statement.

"No worries, man," he assured, "I really liked hanging out last night. I know that it makes me sound like a teenager but it's true. I mean, sure, it kind of sucks that your brother forced you into it, but it was nice to have you over." Dean shrugged, still grinning, before he continued eating again.

"Thank you, Dean," Castiel said again before continuing his own meal. "I'll have to be leaving soon for work, but if you'll allow it, I would love to come over and visit sometime soon."

"Yeah, I'd like that too," Dean agreed, finishing off his plate with a content sigh. "Call ahead and let me know. Sammy won't mind, he knows that some of my friends will drop by every once in a while since it's easier than me meeting them. Any time you want to come over is fine with me. Seriously, if Gabe is pissing you off at three in the morning on a Friday, feel free to come over and crash here. I mean it. Sammy won't mind, I'm sure he'll even get you a key. He seemed to like you last night," Dean joked.

"I'll definitely come over again soon, then," Castiel replied with a smile.


	4. There's something about him

**Here's chapter four, guys. This story** ** _is_** **complete, and I'm uploading the chapters when I get the time - there's only another one after this, so I hope you're enjoying the story. This is part of a series, which I'm only posting on my fanfiction account when each story is complete. This story is a prequel to the one on my profile, Justice is Blind But so is Love. There will be at least one other part of the series that follows this one!**

 **Read and review, please, I love to see what you guys think of my writing!**

Dean's life didn't consist _solely_ of sitting around and listening to bad TV dramas. Sure, if someone would come in at a random point on a random day, it was likely that one would be playing, but it wasn't likely that Dean would be paying any attention to it. Lately, Dean had been trying to find something to do with his time _other_ than listen to crappy daytime TV. Meeting Castiel a few days ago had brought Dean's mind to one of his favorite things as a teenager - music.

"Jesus friggin' christ, when was the last time I even pulled these out?" Dean's words were murmured to himself as he dragged the box of dusty old records out from under his bed, sneezing at the unpleasant feeling of particles going up his sensitive nose. There were plenty of records there, and he was pretty sure he could even remember what order they were in, so it would be no problem to get one playing... right?

Dean was very wrong, he discovered twenty minutes later when he managed to put a record on properly and, instead of Led Zeppelin playing like he had expected, one of Mary's old Beatles records started playing. He let his head fall back to thump against the wall he was leaning on at the sound of "Two of Us", the first song on the _Let it Be_ album.

"Well, fuck," he muttered, running his hands over his face with an irritated huff. As much as he loved his mom, he didn't want to listen to the Beatles right now, he didn't want to bring up those memories.

Krissy woofed softly at him, as though to chastise him for the expletive. "Alright, Krissy, you're gonna help me out here," Dean said with a laugh as he sat down in front of the box. "Bark once if it's Zeppelin, yeah?"

Krissy whined, and Dean imagined she had tilted her head at him. "This one?" Krissy stayed silent as he lifted the first record. A moment later, there was a paw on his thigh, dog nails digging rather painfully into his skin. "Alright, alright. I get it," he said, laughing as he put the record back and stood up to let her out. He could deal with the Beatles for now.

A few hours (and managing to actually find the Zeppelin record he was looking for) later, Dean was surprised by a knock on the door. He hadn't been expecting anyone - as far as he knew, Charlie was at work, and Benny was out of town. He frowned, making a face as he made his way to the door. "Who is it?"

Dean was even more happily surprised to hear Castiel's voice in response. "It's Castiel. I-" Dean had wrenched the door open happily at the sound of the man's voice. "I was hoping that it's not a bad time," the man said a little awkwardly, unsure of how to respond to Dean's enthusiasm.

"No, it's fine," he assured with a laugh. "I don't get to see many- Well. Not many people come to see me during the week," Dean corrected. "I, uh, I'll admit, I wasn't expecting you to come by again so soon. It... it's a nice surprise."

Castiel chuckled lowly. "Well, as long as it's alright... I brought coffee and lemon poppy seed muffins from Gabriel's shop. He said that you would appreciate them," he explained, offering the man a to-go cup.

"Thanks, man, this is wicked," Dean said brightly. "You want to come in? We've got plenty of room." His hand, while reaching for the cup of coffee, brushed over Castiel's hand, sending tingling shock up his arm where their skin touched. A shiver ran over his skin as he stepped aside to let the man in.

"I appreciate that, Dean." There was a pause. "Is that... Led Zeppelin? I'm not quite.. Well, I don't listen to as much music as I used to now."

"Yeah, this is Zep. It took me forever to find the right vinyl," Dean admitted with a laugh, sipping at the coffee Castiel had given him and smiling as he realized that it was his usual order. Either Castiel had been paying attention when they were in the shop, or Gabriel was up to something. "Here, do you want me to pay you back for the coffee? I know Gabe tries not to charge me, probably because of this," and Dean gestured at his face with his free hand at the words, "but I still feel off when I don't pay. I'm blind, not broke, y'know?"

Castiel chuckled, and the low, throaty sound filled Dean with a heat he didn't know how to respond to. "Gabriel didn't charge me anything for the coffee, and the muffins are my treat, Dean. You don't have to pay me for anything." Dean knew that he was blushing, and he knew that Castiel could see it - Sam had always told him he was a full-body blusher, so if his face was hot, then the back of his neck would be pink with his bashfulness, as well, without a doubt. The thought of Castiel being able to read his emotions so easily because of that full-body blush was making him do so even more, as he thought about it.

"Gabe's a good guy," Dean murmured as he led Castiel to the living room once more, the sound of classic rock drifting from his bedroom and lending a comfortable ambience to the room in the silence that surprisingly enough, wasn't awkward. "So, um... What do you look like? If that's not an awkward question to ask."

Castiel's laugh was a thing to behold, somehow even lower and richer than the soft chuckles from before, despite the odd fullness to it. It made Dean's heart skip a beat, and he wasn't exactly sure why. "It's not an odd question to ask at all, Dean. Would you like to feel? I don't mind," the man assured. "I have a friend who served with me overseas who had an accident similar to yours. Well... The circumstances weren't similar, not really, but your injuries both resulted from a head injury. He gets to know how new people look by feeling out their features with his fingers."

Dean blinked in surprise at that. Sure, he was new to this whole 'being blind' thing (it _had_ only been a few years) but the thought of searching out someone's features like that had never occurred to him. He never really watched movies with blind people in them before, and as much as he wished he could do it now, he hadn't been much of a reader. "You don't mind?" Dean had no idea how that would work, how the feelings of Castiel's skin under his fingers would translate to the image of the man in his mind, but he hoped it would work.

"Of course not," Castiel assured. "Perhaps we should sit down, first, so you have somewhere to put your coffee."

"Oh... yeah, that's probably a good idea," Dean agreed with a quiet, self-deprecating huff of a laugh. "What color are your eyes?" Dean sat down on the long couch, and he couldn't help the flip his stomach did when Castiel sat next to him, making the couch dip under his weight.

"Blue. When he's drunk, Gabriel likes to tell me that they're 'The bluest blue to ever blue', but I highly doubt that." Castiel tilted his head, a small smile forming on his face at the new flush forming on Dean's cheeks. "When I don't have it slicked back for work, my hair is quite a mess as well."

Dean's mind came to a halt as Castiel said that his eyes were blue. "Blue's my favorite color," he said before he could stop himself, before he could filter his words. "Or, well, it was. I don't remember a whole lot of colors anymore." Dean sighed, reached for his coffee and took a steadying sip, before he lifted his hands to start tracing out Cas' features. He ended up hesitating, his hand hanging halfway between them in the air.

It took Castiel's hand covering his own, causing a tingling fire to travel over his skin, up his arm, for Dean to manage to touch his face. There was light stubble on his cheeks, grown in from that morning since he had last shaved. Where his fingertips touched the skin of Castiel's jaw, it felt like the static after a limb has been still too long, but... pleasant, somehow. Castiel had a firm jawline, nicely carved cheekbones, and his lips... while they seemed flat at first, they were rather full. He had thick eyebrows, and Dean imagined that with sight, with color, Castiel made for a rather stunning image.

"You're very handsome," Dean assessed in a hushed tone as he let his fingers draw down to Castiel's jaw again, falling away from his face. "Your hair is soft. It's odd, that I wouldn't notice stuff like that before, but I do now."

"Ah. Thank you, Dean," Castiel said softly, smiling though he knew the man wouldn't see it. His face was tingling warmly, especially his lips, from where the green-eyed man's fingers had brushed across the skin, but he wasn't going to draw attention to the fact. Nor would he draw attention to the way Dean's pupils seemed to be blown, which made for a rather attractive sight. While he hadn't been _planning_ on finding out what Dean looked like when aroused, he was rather glad to discover that he only grew more attractive. "You are very handsome, as well. It is... uplifting to see that your eyes didn't lose any of their brightness even though you lost your sight."

Dean flushed at the compliment. "Thanks, Cas." Now, to find some topic of conversation that they hadn't gone over the last time they spoke over coffee. "What _do_ you do? I know you mentioned the military, about your friend's.. Injury, but you never said if you're still in or not."

"I _am_ still in the military," Castiel agreed with a nod. "For now I'm on leave, I only came back from a deployment a few days ago. I have a few weeks before I'll be on active duty again. I was hoping, actually, that we could spend some more time together. I could go around town with you, if you like."

Dean perked up a bit at the offer. "Really? I... I _would_ like that," he admitted bashfully. "Sammy doesn't have a whole lot of time, going to school for his degree so he can become a lawyer. And, I mean, I _do_ have other friends, but they all have their own lives doing other stuff, I wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone. So... if you're _sure_ that you're okay with it, then.." Dean leaned over, picking up his coffee and taking a sip, reveling in the sweetness of the drink. At the sound of a paper bag crinkling, Dean smiled again. He had almost forgotten about the muffins.

"I would be honored. I enjoy spending time with you, Dean. I know that you can't "see the sights" anymore, but if it would make you happy to walk around town, I'm sure that I can manage it." Somehow, Dean could _hear_ the air quotes in Castiel's words, and he had to laugh at how expressive the man's voice was. "Would you like that muffin now?"

"I'd love that," Dean said with a grin, nodding as he reached a hand out to accept the treat. "So, uh, you were saying that you don't listen to a whole lot of music anymore?"

"I... well, yes, I suppose that is true," Castiel said, again, with a nod that Dean could _hear_ in his voice. "I don't listen to as much music as I did when I was a teenager, and even then my tastes were rather... eclectic." At Dean's raised eyebrow and tilted head, he elaborated. "I would listen to almost any kind of music that I heard, and enjoy it. Though I do still have a special fondness for the band 'Cake'."

"I think I have one of their albums, actually," Dean said with a snicker at the thought. "How old are you?" Shit, more awkward questions. Nice job, motormouth.

"I'll be turning twenty-seven in September," Castiel replied easily. "You?"

"I, ah, I just turned twenty-three in January. Sammy turns twenty in May." Dean smiled awkwardly, taking a bite out of the muffin and humming. "Gabriel's cooking is godly," he moaned, turning his head towards where he assumed Castiel's was.

"I've said that from time to time myself," Castiel agreed with a huffed laugh, shaking his head. "Would you like to go and look through your records, to see if you do have that 'Cake' album?"

"I'd love that... if you promise to dance with me while it's playing," Dean agreed, a mischievous smile on his face.

"It's a deal then, Mr. Winchester," Castiel hummed, standing up and drawing Dean with him.


	5. The Start of Something Great

**And this is the** ** _thrilling_** **finale to this story. Thank you to those of you who have followed it, I appreciate it! The next part of this series should be coming soon, so look for the title "Now I'm a Believer"!**

It had been a month since Dean and Castiel danced badly around the living room to his old 'Cake' album. Sure, it had been awkward, because he knew that he was _definitely_ feeling something for the older man, and he didn't know if Castiel felt anything similar. He hoped, sure, and they _did_ see- well, talk to each other - almost every day. It was just... well, Dean didn't see how Castiel would want to be in a relationship with someone like him, someone... broken. Who would want someone that couldn't see?

It came as a surprise when Castiel showed up with Sam one day. Dean knew that Sam would come home early sometimes and he and Cas would already be there, but it was kind of unusual for the two to enter the apartment together. Dean could hear the smile on both men's faces as they chatted animatedly about something, so he just shook his head with a smile, continuing to let his fingers brush over the braille lettering of the Stephen King book he was trying to read. Sometimes, he figured it would be easier to just listen to the audiobooks, but he felt like that would be cheating.

It took Castiel sitting next to him on the couch for Dean to lift his head a belatedly realize that the man had been saying something, that was how hard he had been focusing on the book.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said as he settled more comfortably into the couch. "How is the book? Did you catch any of my conversation with Sam?"

"Uh... sorry, Cas," Dean said, flushing in embarrassment as he ducked his head a little. "I wasn't really paying attention, I guess."

"It's alright," Castiel assured, his voice low and just as sexy as ever. Dean felt a little heat pool in his chest at the sound of it. "I just wanted to ask you something. A little bit of advice, I suppose."

Dean felt his heart freeze in his chest at the words, but he nodded anyway, not letting his face change with his feelings. "Go ahead, man. I'll always help you out, if I can."

Castiel's relief was evident in the air, and Dean figured that he was smiling that goofy grin that would show up on his face whenever he found something amusing. "Well, there's this person I like. They're incredibly kind," he started, and Dean felt a little something inside of himself break. "And I don't think that they see that in themself. I want to know if you've got any idea on how I should ask this person out on a date, since I seem unable to come up with one of my own."

Dean didn't know if his distress was showing on his face, but he hoped it wasn't. If this person was gonna make Cas happy, then he wasn't gonna get between them. "Yeah, I can, um... If I was you, I'd tell that person that they make you happy. And I'd say it bluntly, so that they can't mistake it for somethin' else." Dean paused, thinking about how he'd go about it, and nodded. "I hope that they make you happy, Cas."

"I hope so, too, Dean," Castiel said, reaching for Dean's hand and threading their fingers together. "Because... Well, Dean, you already make me happy, and it'd be the highlight of my year if you would agree to go on a date with me sometime this week."

Dean was speechless at the words. Castiel just asked him to go on a date? He wasn't imagining this? Dean took a moment to pinch himself, wanting to ensure that this wasn't a dream. It sent a sharp pain to his nerves, so Dean decided that no, this wasn't a dream. But had Castiel really just asked that?

"...Dean?" Castiel's voice was a little drawn, hesitant at the long silence after he had spoken.

Dean shook his head a little, to bring his mind back to the present. "I... Cas, I would love that," he replied in a hushed tone, more than a little bit of awe in his voice. "I just... well, I hadn't thought that you felt the same way, I..."

Castiel reached out, twining their fingers together, making Dean pause and smile. "I was worried that _you_ didn't feel the same way," Castiel admitted with a short laugh. "You never said anything, not after we danced."

"I spent some time working out just how I felt, and when I figured it out... Well, I was so afraid that it would mess up our friendship that I didn't want to say anything. I'm glad you did, though," he admitted with a low laugh. "What _were_ you talking about with Sam?"

"You," Castiel told him, and Dean had a feeling that the man was smiling fondly at him. "I was asking him if it was alright with him, were I to ask you on a date and you were to say yes. Apparently, he was expecting that to have happened weeks ago." Castiel watched as Dean's eyes went wide and a pink blush filled his cheeks. It was, frankly, an adorable sight.

"Well, I'm sorta glad I wasn't listening, then. It would have given away the surprise," Dean murmured, voice surprisingly smooth for the embarrassment he felt at the moment. He smiled brightly when it made Castiel laugh, the sound rolling over him like a wave of warmth.

"I really like you, Dean," Cas said, voice fond as he squeezed Dean's fingers lightly.

"I really like you too, Cas," Dean hummed in response, eyes closed as he relaxed next to the man. "I wish that I could actually see you, though. It would be nice to have... noticed something. You're really good at hiding your feelings with your voice," he joked happily.

Castiel snorted and pushed Dean a little, good-naturedly. "I couldn't tell from looking at you. I mean, you blushed so much when I first met you I thought that it was a normal thing."

Dean ducked his head and blushed at the words, shaking his head as he heard Castiel start to laugh softly. "As soon as I heard your voice I was already enamoured with you," he admitted. "You've got the nicest voice I've ever heard, Cas, I mean it. Better than that guy that does that 'Welcome to Night Vale' podcast that you made me listen to."

"You're cute," Castiel teased, pressing his forehead to Dean's for a long moment. There was silence, the pair of them breathing softly, before he asked gently, "Dean... Can I kiss you?"

There was another long pause, and Dean thought that his heart had stopped in his chest before he gave a jerky nod, tongue wetting his lips before Castiel's were pressed against them, soft and warm and slightly chapped. Dean wondered just how he was supposed to restart his thoughts with Castiel infiltrating them so fully, but he hummed into the kiss and tilted his head, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore.

For a first kiss, it was rather heated, despite the fact that there wasn't any tongue and it only lasted for a few seconds. It was the lingering shocks that traveled over Dean's skin, the way his lips tingled where Castiel's had been pressed against them, that made it heated. "You're good at that," he murmured in a hushed voice to Castiel, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think I'll probably need some practice to get up to your level," Dean joked after another moment, stopping himself from lifting a hand to his lips like he wanted to.

"I was about to say the same," Castiel hummed, then pressed another soft kiss to Dean's lips, pulling away after a little longer this time. "It makes me wish I had asked sooner if it was alright. I suppose we have plenty of time to make up for it, though."

"That we do," Dean agreed with a laugh, "that we most certainly do." He flushed when he heard Sam clearing his throat from the doorway of the living room - he hadn't even heard his brother's footsteps.

"I ordered pizza, it should be here soon. If you two want to get washed up to eat, that is," he said, no small amount of amusement in his voice. "Just, uh, if you're gonna take it any farther than that, please don't do it on the couch."

Dean choked on air at the words. "It's too soon for that, bitch, don't go getting anything in your head!"

"Shut up, jerk," was Sam's reply from the kitchen, and Dean shook his head, leaning his forehead against Castiel's shoulder before he lifted it once more.

"He's insufferable," Dean murmured to Castiel. "What do you want to do for that date?"

"He's your brother, I think that's supposed to be a given," Castiel teased in return. "I was hoping to bring you out to dinner, and then perhaps go to a movie. Maybe that new X-Men movie that comes out next week?"

"That'd be great," Dean agreed with a laugh. "I'd love to go to dinner and a movie with you. You'll have to tell me what the people looked like after the movie, though." At Castiel's nod, and hummed affirmation, Dean sighed, shifting so he was able to sit closer to his newfound boyfriend and let his head rest on the man's shoulder. This was nice. To both of them, this was the start of something amazing.


End file.
